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http://www.sussex.ac.uk/informatics/punctuation/comma/bracketing

She groped for her cigarettes and hastily lit one

She groped for her cigarettes, hastily lighting one. (This is ok right).

It's just a question of lit versus lighting.

What do we call the contrast of lit and lighting with one word not modifying the main clause?

And why doesn't the conjunction 'and' work in my example but it works in the other.

I can see that the first example relates to her, but the second modifies cigarettes.

The conjunction only works if you extend the sentence:

She groped for her cigarettes, and, hastily lighting one, inhaled the toxic fumes.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

panda blue 4831) She groped for her cigarettes and hastily lit one.
2) She groped for her cigarettes, hastily lighting one.

1) has a compound predicate. 'and' joins two past tenses. She [groped ... and ... lit ...].
2) has a participle clause (an adjunct). The subject of such a clause is inherited from the subject of the main clause. A coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, etc.) is not used with a participle clause. It wouldn't make sense to do that because the verb forms are not the same. She groped ..., lighting ....

panda blue 483I can see that the first example relates to her, but the second modifies cigarettes.

No. In 2) you have a secondary predicate for 'she'. It was she who was lighting the cigarette. It's not a matter of a cigarette lighting a cigarette.

panda blue 483The conjunction only works if you extend the sentence:
3) She groped for her cigarettes, and, hastily lighting one, inhaled the toxic fumes.

Right. Now you have the coordination of 'groped' and 'inhaled' and a participle clause that has the implicit subject 'she' — somewhat like a combination of the structures seen in 1) and 2).

CJ

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